Mike Patton Joins Axl Rose’s War Against Drones

Imagine performing on stage with a drone flying in front of your face — it would be distracting and annoying. Following Axl Rose’s remarks about using drones during shows, Mr. Bungle’s Mike Patton recently took the battle to another level by trying to smash a fan drone with his microphone.

Drones have been quite popular during the past years. They help people take videos of places they cannot walk to and see, get a bird’s-eye view of an area, and get a closer look at something beyond reach. During crowded concerts, some fans use them to video the show from the front row. However, others prefer to fly their drones right in front of the artists’ faces.

This is, without a doubt, a disrespectful act. According to Axl Rose, GN’R’s Gold Coast gig had a few drones, which wasn’t a pleasant experience. The singer asserted that it was the most intrusive and distracting show ever. In his lengthy Twitter complaint, Rose asked those who use drones to take bootleg videos to play with their toys elsewhere.

Following this incident, another fan appeared during Mr. Bungle’s Knotfest Chile show with a drone. However, Mike Patton’s reaction didn’t aim to serve as a warning. The musician held up his middle finger, gestured to it to come closer, and tried to smash it with his microphone. Apparently, seeing a drone in his face got on Patton’s nerves.

According to fan footage, Mike Patton’s threat was intimidating enough, and the drone quickly pulled back. That was a memorable show as the singer finally returned to the stage following a mental health hiatus, and apparently, this wasn’t what he expected. As more and more fans start to use drones during live performances, this will probably be an issue for other names as well.